“No Longer
Suffering
in Silence”
A review of the
Lamplight Support Service
April 2017
No Longer Suffering in Silence: A review of the Lamplight Support Service
My life has changed
with the help I
received and I will
be eternally grateful
for the support they
gave me.”
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No Longer Suffering in Silence: A review of the Lamplight Support Service
Background
Since its establishment in 2010, the RCN Foundation
has provided access to financial support to any and all
nurses, midwives and health care assistants (HCAs)
who were facing hardship. Prior to that, this type
of assistance was provided by the Royal College of
Nursing (RCN), but only to its members.
In February 2016, the Lamplight Support Service was
created as a partnership between the RCN Foundation
and the RCN as a new model through which to
deliver advice and grants to members of the nursing
community facing hardship. The RCN Foundation funds
in full the cost of operational delivery of the Lamplight
Support Service and the grants to recipients. The RCN
provides the personnel and infrastructure required to
deliver, monitor and evaluate the service.
As a service funded by the RCN Foundation, the
Lamplight Support Service continues to be open to all
nurses, midwives and HCAs in the UK, not only those
who are members of the RCN.
This report provides an overview of key results and
outcomes from the first year of the partnership. It also
looks at some of the key trends in relation to the service
since the RCN Foundation was established in 2010.
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No Longer Suffering in Silence: A review of the Lamplight Support Service
Key results and outcomes
About the individuals using the service
1,711 people made contact with the Lamplight Support Service during its eleven months
operating in 2016. The numbers of people making contact with the service on a monthly
basis accelerated as the year wore on. Figures for the final quarter of 2016 showed that
510 assessments were offered, putting the average annual figure for those seeking support
at over 2,000.
Over 1 in 5 grant
recipients (22%)
were on full pay.
This figure rose to
1 in 4 (25%) during
the final quarter of
the year.
526 individuals were awarded a grant.
HPs
Nurses
82% of callers to LSS were nurses and 9% were health care practitioners.
accessing the service
Non-RCN members
grant recipients
RCN members
Non-RCN members
RCN members
Whilst 11% of those accessing the service were non-RCN members,
30% of grant recipients were non-members.
Why nursing staff were accessing the service
The top three reasons for contacting the service were:
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1
2
3
ill
health
termination
of contract
caring
responsibilities
No Longer Suffering in Silence: A review of the Lamplight Support Service
Grants were needed for a number of reasons. The top six reasons were:
cost of living grant 52%
essential repairs 4%
disability equipment 4%
household goods 6%
mortgage payment 8%
rent 9%
The main issues advised on were:
income
maximisation
housing needs
disability
benefits
job seeking
benefits
childcare
benefits and
tax credits
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No Longer Suffering in Silence: A review of the Lamplight Support Service
Impact of the service
59%
59% of callers to the service
were better off financially as a
result of advice they were given
by the LSS team. This rose to
77% during the final quarter of
the year.
£1,420,947
In 2016, the Lamplight
Support Service provided
advice to individuals to
enable them to apply for
potential benefits and tax
credits to which they were
entitled worth £1,420,947.
63% said the grant would
increase their independence
£2,775
On average, individuals
who contacted the
service were better off
by £2,775 per year as
a result of the advice
they were given. This
figure rose to £3,125
during the final quarter
of the year.
54% said the grant would
assist them getting back to
work
Longer term trends
46%
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Since 2010, there has been
a 46% increase in the
number of applications
received for grants, and a
59% increase in the value of
grants made.
34.8%
69%
2010
2016
The number of grant
recipients on full pay
in 2016 (22%) is almost
double the number in
2010 (12%).
The number of recipients receiving a grant to
alleviate severe hardship doubled between 2010
(34.8%) and 2016 (69%).
No Longer Suffering in Silence: A review of the Lamplight Support Service
Case studies
John was referred to the Lamplight Support
Service by a member of the RCN’s Legal team,
who were concerned about his welfare. When LSS
contacted John in the run up to the Christmas
period, he was homeless and sleeping in a hostel.
After an initial discussion, a Lamplight adviser
identified that John could be supported with the
cost of temporary accommodation whilst he
explored more permanent options for housing.
The Benevolent Fund
is there for nurses, and
it really makes such a
difference to have this
support when things
seem bleak.”
However, the situation deteriorated during
the assessment process, with John contacting
the service to tell them that he had been evicted and was sleeping rough. That same
day, an adviser spoke with a local housing charity and was given details of alternative
accommodation. The adviser contacted the owner of a local guest house and explained
the situation, and she was happy to offer John accommodation with a commitment from
the service that it would meet the costs.
Within the space of a few hours the Lamplight Support Service had secured
accommodation for John that would ensure he had somewhere safe, dry and warm to
sleep over the Christmas and New Year period. The service continued to work with a local
housing charity and John to find a permanent solution to his housing problems.
Ann has been a nurse her entire working life. At the age of 49 she was diagnosed with
Transverse Myelitis, a neurological condition in which the spinal cord is inflamed. It was
a downward spiral of loneliness and desperate lack of earnings, leading to emotional
turmoil and dark depression. She had not turned the heating on for two winters and
went many days without meals. The Lamplight Support Service offered Ann a grant to
get thermal blackout curtains and blinds ahead of the winter. We also provided her with
carpets to keep the warmth in and had a cupboard built under the stairs to house her
wheelchair. She says “My life has changed with the help I received and I will be eternally
grateful for the support they gave me.”
Chloe, a nurse of 12 years, had escaped a violent relationship and needed to take time
off from work to recover from the ensuing stress and anxiety. Chloe needed household
essentials for herself and her two young children for their new home. The RCN
Foundation was able to assist Chloe with a grant of £650 to get her life back on track by
enabling her to purchase beds for her children and a new cooker.
Katharine received a hardship grant to assist her financially following a road accident.
This grant offered her much needed respite.
She was suffering from chronic pain, fatigue and depression after an accident in London
where she was hit by a coach. At the time, she had just been promoted and therefore felt
she had to carry on working. Six months later, she realised that she needed support and
contacted the RCN Foundation. She says “I have come to realise that at certain times
in our lives we may find ourselves in need of either emotional or financial support. The
Benevolent Fund is there for nurses, and it really makes such a difference to have this
support when things seem bleak. I now know that I no longer need to suffer in silence.”
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No Longer Suffering in Silence: A review of the Lamplight Support Service
We want to hear from you
Feel free to contact us and see how we can help:
[email protected]
020 7647 3645
www.rcnfoundation.org.uk
@RCNFoundation
/RCNFoundation
To access initial advice and book an appointment for a full assessment, call the Lamplight
Support Service team on 0345 772 6200 between 08:30 and 20:30 Monday to Friday.
Published by: RCN Foundation, 20 Cavendish Square, London, W1G 0RN
Registered Charity: SC043663 (Scotland) 1134606 (England and Wales)
Registered Company: 7026001 | Publication code: 006 187 | May 2017
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